The Gwanma's Diaries
by starsNflowers
Summary: A collection of drabbles about Hermione and Draco's family life from Narcissa's Malfoy's viewpoint. Of various lengths and genres. rated T to be safe. Inspired by my own experiences with children who can often say and do the darndest things. Also includes OC and other HP characters. A difference from my usual fluffy M rated stuff but hopefully still enjoyable!
1. Proper

**This is going to be (hopefully) an ongoing collection of drabbles involving Narcissa Malfoy with various ratings, genres, and lengths. **

**I welcome prompts, ideas, beta volunteers and especially REVIEWS!**

**PROPER**

Narcissa put a restraining hand onto her grandson's arm as he reached out to take another piece of cake.

"That's enough, Caellum. You know Daddy said you were to only eat a piece."

"Pwease, Gwanma?" He turned big dopey grey eyes at her. "Pweaseeee?" He loved cakes so much.

Having experienced an exhausting night chasing after a sugar-fuelled four-year-old several months prior when she had naively fallen for this particular scam had thought her an invaluable lesson in life. Well, aside from the lesson of not blindly following a homicidal wizard who looked like a snake.

She pinned him with her coldest stare. "No."

His lips quivered and Narcissa melted into goo. Compromising, she let him have a pumpkin flavoured toffee from the bowl of sweets on the table. He smiled and munched happily. A few blissful minutes of quiet ensued.

When he finished his toffee, he turned to look at the icing covered cake and then at Narcissa several times. She stood firm and shook her head before turning to talk to a strange lady with an even stranger looking hat perched on her head. Caellum sighed longingly at the delicious looking cakes, looking around the room and the crowd of people gathered. He thought he saw his parents but they disappeared before he could be sure. Oh well... his grandmother was way more entertaining, anyway. But this party was awful... so boring... where were the balloons and games? Just a bunch of old people talking and talking and talking... and wasting all those cakes away... Grown-ups are so weird!

He thought about random things before he remembered something important he wanted to know.

"Gwanma!"

"Yes, darling?"

"How come Auwowa has no wee wee like me?"

Not for the first time Narcissa wished her adorable grandson would ask questions like these another time. Feeling her cheeks warming, she said as calmly as she could, "Aurora is a girl, Caellum, and girls have different wee wees."

Caellum looked belligerent, "So how does she pee, Gwanma?"

Narcissa also wished fervently that Caellum had better control of the volume of his vocal chords. Several people were turning to smirk at them.

"Shhh, darling... we'll talk about this later."

"No Gwanma! Mummy always answers my askings!"

"Questions, not askings, darling."

Caellum rolled his grey eyes in the exact fashion of his mother's. "Oceanmantics, Gwanma! Same thing!"

"That's semantics, sweetheart, and it's proper to use the right words."

"What's pwoper?" his dark eyebrows furrowed.

"The correct way of doing things, my sweet."

"Ohh...Must we always use pwoper wodds, Gwanma?"

"Always." Narcissa was congratulating herself for diverting his attention from his earlier questions. Her grandson scrunched his face in deep thought and Narcissa was again reminded how much he resembled Hermione at the moment despite his blond, grey-eyed features.

"Is wee wee a pwoper wodd?"

Narcissa counted to five slowly. "Well, not exactly..."

"So what is the pwoper wodd for wee wee?"

His long suffering grandmother tried a different tact. "Perhaps you should ask your mother and father."

"Daddy said to ask you ANYTHING here at the pawty. Daddy says not answewing my ask... I mean qwestens will stunt my gwoth."

_I'll bet he did! _She succumbed to the inevitable and whispered into his ears. "The proper word for wee wee is penis."

"Peenis?!" He screamed out before bursting into giggles; the word sounded droll to him. "We use a peenis to pee!"

Narcissa's beautiful regal features became awash in pink. The crowd of high society witches and wizards at the high tea hosting the Minister of Magic's wife tittered and chuckled. Narcissa looked wildly for her son and daughter-in-law who had left her to greet an acquaintance and disappeared. She sighed, regretting her decision to introduce Caellum to his first ever adult party. She ground her teeth as Caellum did nothing to hide his mirth, belatedly recalling Draco's reservation about her misplaced confidence in his son to behave.

Her effervescent grandson tugged at the robes of the wizard standing nearby. "You have a peenis! You use it to pee!" More giggles erupted and he repeated the word over and over again while running around the small crowd. "Peenis! Peenis!"

Holding on to her tattered dignity and moving as fast as she could, she tried to catch him and called out, "Caellum, you should not talk so loud here."

He whipped his head, his curls bouncing wildly. "Why?"

"It's not proper."

"Ohhh..." Brows furrowing again, he stared at the elder woman. "Must we be pwoper at pawties?"

She knelt down and held on to his small arms. "Yes, darling. It's good to behave properly. It shows we have breeding."

"Bweeding? Isn't the pwoper wodd wepwoduction?"

_Right, you don't know the proper word for penis but you know what reproduction is!_

"Yes, but breeding also means being brought up properly to behave appropriately."

"Huh? Appwo what?"

"Appropriately which means correctly."

"Why didn't you use the wodd cowwectly then? Shessh, Gwanma, honestly! Are you twying to make your only gwandson cwy?" he rolled his grey eyes.

"No, of course not!"

"Does Mummy and Daddy behave pwoperly at pawties and other pwaces?"

Narcissa pinned him with her a disapproving stare at his apparently disrespectful question and lied. "Of course. Your father was brought up well and your mother has had training on proper etiquette."

"What's eti.. eti...? Is it like Kit Kats?"

Unsure whose cat this Kit Kats belonged to, she frowned, "No, etiquette is the customary code of polite manners and behaviour in society."

"You are trying to make me cwy, aren't you?"

Narcissa counted to ten in French and closed her eyes.

When she opened her eyes again, his brows were furrowed in thought again and Narcissa shuddered at the danger sign. "Would you like a pastry, darling?" she said hurriedly.

Caellum shook his head, brows still furrowed. He remembered sneaking down to one grown up party his parents held at home and looking for them everywhere and then being punished when he found them. Was it so bad to ask for a slice of cake? He didn't care what the adults were up to; he just wanted cake. His brains whirled and twirled madly beneath his dirty blond curls.

"Gwanma..."

_Dear Merlin! Please have mercy on me."_Yes, Caellum my sweet..."

"I wanna go to Mummy and Daddy."

She looked at him worriedly. "Are you felling unwell?"

"No, I have something to ask them."

Trying to be brave yet quivering inside, she said quietly, "You can ask Grandma anything, you know." _Mostly anything, anyway..._

"No, you have to answer them togewer." He looked at her seriously, with his jaw clenched tightly.

Narcissa sighed heavily. He had Hermione's stubborn expression down to a T.

"Alright then, let's find your parents." She held on to his tiny hands and felt the warmth flow through her at the connection. Despite their mischievous and exhausting ways, Caellum and little Aurora were her world.

He pulled her hand hard. "I think they went this way!" He led them to a quiet corridor and then stopped at a strangely moving tapestry.

"Is this pwoper, Gwanma?" he asked as he flung the tapestry aside to reveal a hidden alcove housing a lipstick stained, dishevelled Draco who had his pants around his ankles, entwined with Hermione who had one leg around his waist, her red dress bunched up and her lips swollen. Their twin expressions of shock was multiplied a hundred times on Narcissa's face.

Apparently satisfied without getting a proper answer from his now spluttering, outraged grandmother and his red-faced, flustered parents, Caellum skipped unconcernedly towards the banquet table to have a slice of cake. Judging by Gwanma's brilliant shade of red, he'd probably have time for several slices. He smiled happily; now this is what they could call a proper party!

__**Author's End Notes:**

**I chose Caellum and not Scorpius because I just can't see Hermione agreeing to name her son as Scorpius (sorry!). Caellum (pronounced Kayllum) is Celtic in origin, meaning the brave warrior and I chose it because it's spelling is similar to Caelum (pronounced Seellum), which is a constellation in the southern sky. Caelum means The Chisel in Latin. **

**For their daughter, I chose Aurora and not Rose because I think Draco would want his daughter named for something from the stars or skies. Aurora originated from the Latin word for dawn; it is also the ancient Roman goddess of the dawn. I've always been fascinated by the Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights and I think it is an apt name for Draco and Hermione's girl. **

**Please send me your thoughts!**


	2. What Daddy Didn't Tell Me

**WHAT DADDY DIDN'T TELL ME**

"What did you learn at kindergarten today?"

Caellum stopped attacking his ice cream long enough to mumble, "Lotsa things, Gwanma."

Narcissa smiled fondly at her grandson. "What sort of things?" They were walking back home after his first day from the Muggle kindergarten his mother had enrolled him in. Narcissa volunteered to pick him up every day, despite not being happy at Hermione's choice of school for Caellum. He had been regaling her with stories of the other children and teachers he had encountered. Narcissa had decided to pursue a more academic line of questioning.

He screwed up his face and thought. "We must wash our hands before meals."

"Why must we? Did they teach you why?"

The blond curls bounced enthusiastically. "Yes, Gwanma... it's so we don't eat our own snot."

"...Er..." Narcissa's eyes went wide in an effort not to laugh."It's so that we don't have germs and eat them, darling. Do you know what germs are?"

"Yes..."

After a pause without further response from Caellum, Narcissa prompted, "And germs are..."

"People who live in Germany."

She bit her lips. Hard. "No. Darling, germs are bad things that make us ill. We wash our hands so these bad things don't go inside our body."

"I knew that." They walked in silence for a distance while Narcissa waited for him to finish his ice cream. They both knew that any evidence of secret sugary treats were to be disposed of before they reached home.

After they had dealt with all incriminating evidence, they resumed their leisurely walk. "What else did you learn in school today?"

His eyes went round as he remembered something shocking. "Gwanma! I learnt something awful!"

"Something awful? Are you sure?" She knew the Muggle kindergarten was a bad idea!

He looked up at her with the most serious expression she had ever seen him wear. "Yes, Gwanma...it made me sad."

Her heart lurched; Hermione was going to hear no end about this! She knelt down to look at him. "What is it, my sweet? What did they say?"

His lower lips trembled slightly. Narcissa felt icy hands gripping her chest. "Is it so bad? Can't you tell Grandma about it?" Her blue eyes roamed the little face she loved so much. She would hex anyone who had hurt him! She would wring their necks! How dare they upset her grandson?!

"No, Gwanma..."

"Did someone say something bad to you?"

"No..." His lower lip pouted tremblingly.

"Did they do something bad?"

"No..." A tear trailed down his chubby cheeks.

She was terrified now. Trying to calm herself, she gripped both his arms gently. "Darling, what happened?"

"If I tell you, do you pwomise to ask Daddy? I'm too sad to ask him myself..."

"Daddy? What does Daddy have to do with it, sweetcakes? Did Daddy make someone angry at school?" Merlin knew her son did not a tactful bone in his body; it was a miracle Hermione had ever fallen in love with her prat of an offspring.

But Caellum was shaking his head. "Daddy didn't do anything at school... He... he..." 

"Yes, darling? Tell me what happened, you know Grandma will do anything for you."

"You will ask Daddy then? Pwomise?"

"Yes, my precious, I promise to ask Daddy..." she was almost faint with worry.

Her grandson launched himself into her arms and let out a huge wail. "Gwanma, did you know that LMNOP is not one alfwabet? They are different alfwabets! Daddy never told me! He never told me!"


	3. Orchids and Roses

**This won't be cute like the first two chapters nor is it humorous. This chapter would be from the perspective of two 'Gwanmas' and set just before Hermione and Draco's wedding. **

**ORCHIDS AND ROSES**

The two women walked silently on; their shoulders tensed and their expressions tautly neutral. They were together because their children had manoeuvred them to be alone in their latest quest for the two women 'to talk'.

An impending marriage was always the best backdrop for near-strangers to start 'talking', thought Narcissa. But Draco was insistent and she could never deny her only child anything.

Jean Granger silently admired the vast, well-tended gardens of Malfoy Manor. It was a beautiful garden; peaceful and with a strange grace matching the regal bearing of the mistress of the Manor. She looked at Narcissa out of the corner of her eyes. Narcissa could give the royalties of the non-wizard world a run for their money. Not a silky hair out of place, marvellous unlined skin and beautiful features. Despite her own fashionable and immaculate appearance, Jean felt frumpy next to the ageless witch.

Narcissa looked unseeingly at the Narcissus which Lucius had planted when they first got married. He had the silly notion that a garden blooming with her namesake was the pinnacle of romantic gestures. She smiled sadly; Lucius was often wrong about a lot of things but he had loved her and she had loved him too much to tell him she hated Narcissus.

"It's a really beautiful garden" Jean Granger's soft but firm voice broke the silence.

Narcissa started and turned to look at the woman next to her. Hermione had inherited her unruly curls and clear skin from her mother but not the deep blue eyes and caramel blond hair that made Jean striking.

"Thank you."

An uncomfortable silence ensued. Narcissa realized that her reply was somewhat abrupt and cold. "Do you have a garden at home?"

Jean smiled, "Yes, but not as large nor as beautiful as this. I only manage to garden occasionally. Richard is the one with the green thumb."

"Ah." Narcissa struggled to find something to discuss. She couldn't help feeling uncomfortable even though she wanted to like her soon to be family member. It took her years to get used to the idea of Hermione and her Muggle ways but Hermione was a witch after all while her family was _just_ Muggles. There was a whole universe of differences to **that**. Decades of ingrained beliefs don't just vanish overnight and while Narcissa had learnt to dispose of them gradually, it was still a long and difficult process. She realised she also wanted Jean and her family to like _her_. After all, they had more reasons to hate the Malfoys.

"What kind of flowers do you have in your garden at home?"

"Oh, just the normal ones...azaleas, petunias, hydrangeas..." Jean replied vaguely. "We have several apple trees as well; Hermione loved apple blossoms when she was a toddler and Richard planted them for her." There was a small smile on her lips as a far-away look invaded her eyes as she remembered the love Richard had poured into planting the trees for his little princess. Much like the love she had poured into planting her... "Roses, we have roses too."

Narcissa looked at Jean sharply. There was a strange note when she mentioned roses, but Jean had turned her head slightly as if to look at the potted geraniums hanging near them.

"We have some tropical flowers here, would you like to see them?"

Jean turned surprised eyes at Narcissa. "Really? Tropical flowers?" She seemed sceptical but then seemed to recall that she was in the wizarding world where anything was possible. "I'd love to."

_Were her eyes just a bit shiny? _Narcissa bit her lips and acted as if she hadn't noticed anything. They were not even at the friends stage to warrant a query about feelings.

Narcissa waved her wand at a wall of White Blue Eyes Wisteria which parted to reveal an arched entrance to her favourite place in the garden. It was like stepping into another world; Jean could hardly believe her eyes when she was confronted with a paradise of Calla lilies, hibiscus, heliconias, bougainvilleas, African tulips and other exotic flowers. Jean gasped in delight.

"Oh my goodness...Oh my goodness..."

Narcissa smiled proudly. This was her sanctuary when her world seemed dark. Jean was still open-mouthed in rapture of the beautiful blooms and the small butterflies flitting around in the tropical heaven. The witch pointed out several rare plants and they discussed the origin and care of the plants with enthusiasm.

"Oh... are those..." Jean's sharp eyes had spotted some bursts of colours hidden by a curtain of birds of paradise plants. Narcissa hesitated, but her intuition strongly told her that she should show Jean her special garden. Even Draco had never stepped into this secret spot. She faked a smile and bravely led the way.

"Yes, these are my orchids."

Narcissa felt light headed yet heavy hearted as Jean practically skipped to reach the exotic blooms. Sighing in pure pleasure, Jean bent down to sniff at the delicate, elusive fragrance of the soft petals. She spied different varieties of orchids: white Hawaiian orchids, the Ozarks Sentinel, Brazilian Red Orchid, a Black Orchid, Queen of Sheba and Dancing Ladies.

"I love orchids but I could never grow them properly. Oh, these are lovely..." Jean touched the soft petal of a Cattleya Orchid. "Lovely."

Suddenly, she saw a small shimmer of blue in the middle of all the orchids which had her draw a sharp intake of breath. It couldn't be! "Oh my goodness, is that a Blue Mystique?!" The petals gleamed purple, blue and silver as if it was dancing to welcome them. Jean was transfixed.

"This is..." She turned to look at Narcissa and froze.

"Narcissa?"

The witch looked stricken and her pale face looked like it was the colour of moonlight.

"Are you alright, Narcissa?"

As if shaken from a trance, Narcissa turned unfocused eyes at her guest for several heartbeats. "Yes...Yes...I just...Let me..."

"Let's have a seat." Jean led Narcissa by a hand on an elbow to an intricately carved wooden garden bench. "You need to sit down." Even in her dazed state, Narcissa was strongly reminded of Hermione's bossy ways as she let Jean guide her.

They sat quietly for several minutes, accompanied only by the slightly irregular breaths released by Narcissa as she struggled for composure. Jean instinctively kept her peace, keeping her eyes on the exquisite blooms surrounding them instead of looking at Narcissa. A woman such as Narcissa would not welcome probing questions.

When she felt less light headed and her breathing became normal again, Narcissa turned to Jean who was looking at her with questioning and worried eyes.

"Thank you."

Jean gave a small smile and nod.

The silence between them was no longer uncomfortable. It was strange sometimes the things that made you feel less awkward with someone you hardly know, Jean mused.

"We only had Draco after nearly 10 years of marriage."

Jean was surprised. That was not what she expected. She looked at Narcissa who had her eyes transfixed on the shimmering Blue Mystique orchid. Magic, Jean guessed. As enchanting as they were, a normal Blue Mystique could never glitter as the one in Narcissa's garden.

"But he was not my first pregnancy." Narcissa would never, until the end of her life, know why she was telling this to Jean, a Muggle, of all people.

A light of understanding came into Jean's eyes. The orchids took on a new meaning. She realised there was only **one** plant for every variety of orchid.

"Three years into our marriage, I managed to have a baby to term... "Narcissa's voice broke.

Jean felt a lump in her throat. _Oh, no..._

"She was beautiful. Cassiopeia Vanda."

Vanda... the Blue Orchid, Jean thought.

"She spent five days with us."

The Blue Mystique seemed to glisten at them, as if it was listening to Narcissa.

Narcissa's eyes were dry but the air surrounding them was filled with her anguish. Jean could feel it filling her lungs, stinging her face. It was her anguish too.

They were silent, each lost in her own thoughts for a long while.

Jean cleared her throat. "We tried for years too..." Jean tried to say more but couldn't. She settled for "...and we planted roses..."

She bit her lips, not unlike the daughter she was finally blessed with, and blinked repeatedly to chase away the tears.

She felt a cool hand closing over her clenched ones. Narcissa gave her a squeeze and a sad nod when Jean looked at her in surprise. They gave each other a watery smile as Jean returned the squeeze.

They sat there for several more minutes in companiable silence. Narcissa looked at her orchids and thought of the roses that the Grangers had in their garden. The heaviness in her heart had lessened considerably. Whatever the bloom, weren't they all flowers? Whoever they were, didn't they grief the same?

"One day I hope to visit your garden... and look at the roses..."

Jean smiled. "I'd love that."

Maybe the universe of differences was never ever there after all.

**A/N: I know the readers of FFNet come from different backgrounds so I feel a need to explain. This story is about miscarriages, something both Narcissa and Jean had experienced. One method of coping with the grief of miscarriages is to plant trees; it's a way of acknowledging the loss and the short presence of the baby. So Narcissa had planted orchids; a different type for each baby she lost while Jean planted roses. **

**I planted bamboo trees. **

**Thank you for reading and I do hope you will leave a review!**


	4. A Bedtime story

**A/N : Caellum's back!**

**A BEDTIME STORY**

"I wuff you, Gwanma" the soft, sleepy voice of Aurora whispered to Narcissa as she bent down to tuck in her granddaughter.

"I love you too, sweetheart" Narcissa whispered, dropping a lingering kiss on Aurora's forehead. She stroked the soft curls framing the sweet face, watching the incredibly long lashes flutter softly until it ceased moving. She kissed the tips of the upturned nose before leaving the tastefully decorated princess-themed room and headed to the room next door.

Unlike the previously tidy room, this room looked like something had just exploded in it. Toys were scattered on the floor and a dangerous looking creature was jumping maniacally on the bed. Narcissa took in a deep breath as she surveyed her grandson's domain: the 'creature' was actually Caellum who had a weird purple costume which looked like a cross between a dinosaur and a dragon.

"Caellum!"

The purple creature resembling her grandson just kept jumping on the bed; an action which would have earned a sharp reprimand from his mother and maybe even a spanking from his father had they been at home.

"Caellum Draco Malfoy!"

Bounce..."Yes, Gwanma?" Bounce... Bounce...

"You know you should not be jumping on your bed. Stop it right now."

He smiled toothily. "Make me." Bounce... bounce...

Narcissa turned indignantly pink. Her voice was a dangerous whisper "What did you just say to me, Caellum Draco Malfoy?"

Caellum Draco Malfoy stopped his jumping, recognizing he was treading into hazardous waters now. He stared at his still-looking, long suffering grandmother and decided a change of tactics was required. He plopped down on his bed and rearranged his face to display a remorseful face. His lower lip jutted out and his grey eyes turned sorrowful. "I'm sowwy Gwanma."

Narcissa Black Malfoy, a woman who had stared into the eyes of Voldemort and lied, sister to Bellatrix Lestrange, wife to a convicted Death Eater, crumpled magnificently.

"You should be sorry, young man. You must promise me you will never jump on your bed again." But her scolding had lost its bite; she could never win a battle against her grandson.

Her young adversary smiled charmingly. "Yes, Gwanma. I promise." He mentally filed the fact that she had failed to mention his sister's bed or his parents' or any other bed. Only HIS bed.

His easily deluded grandmother bent to tuck him in, struggling to maintain her stern look. "Now, you should go to sleep. It's way past your bedtime now. It's no good waiting up for Daddy and Mummy; they'll be back after midnight."

_Hopefully fully dressed and not drunk, _she added mentally. Honestly, those two were like randy teenagers despite having two children and married for six years. The number of times she had to cast a quick Glamour on their necks AFTER having caught them in embarrassingly compromising positions at parties, dinners, the opera, weddings, meetings, ... Oh, honestly!

"Gwanma" Caellum's voice broke into her thoughts. "Can you tell me a stowy?"

"Sure, my sweet. What do you want to hear tonight?" she asked, preparing to Accio a book from the shelves by the door.

"No, I want to hear a WEAL stowy."

"A real story?"

"Yes, I want to hear when Daddy met Mummy."

_Oh oh_...

"Hasn't Daddy told you?"

"Yes... but he can't be twusted."

Narcissa gaped unattractively. "How can you say that about your own father, Caellum?!"

"Coz Mummy says that all the time."

Silently acknowledging that it was indeed true, especially when they were having their endless arguments and Draco bent the facts and would stoop to anything to win. Narcissa however, couldn't let Caellum believe that about his father. "Mummy says that only when they're arguing. She trusts him; otherwise she wouldn't have fallen in love and married him."

Caellum looked at his grandmother sceptically and blithely said, "Love makes people blind."

Narcissa decided feigning deaf was a great strategy in dealing with wordy and precocious four year olds. "Hasn't Mummy told you, then?"

"Yes, she told me to ask Daddy."

"Well then!' she said triumphantly.

"Well then, what?"

"It shows that Mummy trusts Daddy to tell you about it."

"No" he said adamantly, shaking his head vehemently and causing his curls to bounce.

"Caellum..."

"It just shows that love does make people blind."

Narcissa bit her inner cheeks and refused to look at the large grey eyes staring at her stubbornly. It was no wonder Draco insists that Hermione and him should go on a weekly date night if this was what or who they had to handle every night. She conceded Caellum had a point.

"Well, alright then. So Daddy met Mummy at Hogwarts..." she started before being interrupted.

"I know that..."

She arched a well sculpted eyebrow at the boy who then seemed to simultaneously frown and waggle his eyebrow strangely at her.

"Caellum, what are you doing?"

"I'm twying to make my eyebwows look like yours and Daddy's." He stopped his strange facial contortions and used his right fingers to hold up one eyebrow.

Narcissa struggled valiantly against her laughter, causing her eyes to water and her mouth to twitch. After a few minutes, she managed to choke out, "So what do you want to hear about your parents?"

"When did they become fwiends? Aunt Ginny said they wen't fwiends for yonks. I mean for a long time..." he amended hastily at his grandmother's look.

"Well, they became friends during their Seventh Year, their repeat Seventh Year, after the war."

"They were THAT old when they became fwiends?"

Narcissa sucked in her cheeks hastily. She nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

"Then what happened?" demanded Caellum impatiently.

"Your Mummy would invite your Daddy to her Granddad Richard's and Grandmother Jean's house for the weekends..."

"Oooohhhh...when Gwandad and Gwanma Jean wen't there?"

_I DO NOT want to know why he said that!_

"Of course, not!" she said imperiously. _At least, I think not or I could have been a grandmother years ago._ "She brought him there to see how Muggles live... he only used to live in the wizarding world."

"He didn't like that, did he?" asked Caellum slowly.

Narcissa hesitated. "No... not at first. He was afraid, you see, because he used to listen to stories..." She corrected herself, "WE used to listen to stories about how terrible Muggles were...when it was all a lie..." her voice trailed off as she remembered the bitter lessons of war.

"Then what happened?"

"Daddy learnt that Muggles were just like us, but they don't have magic to help them do things. They have families and feelings just like us. They made things work using their brains and own effort which is very admirable."

"Ad... what?"

"Admirable. It means something that is very good or splendid. Daddy also learnt that Muggles are good people especially your Mummy...who is one of the kindest person he ever knew. She helped him even though he was often ... er... naughty."

Caellum's eyes began drooping but he managed to slur, "How did she help him?"

"She used to look after Daddy in school when some angry people were upset with him. She made sure he ate and did his homework and had proper rest...She talked to him even though other people told her not to...She was a very good friend to him." Narcissa felt a warmth in her heart thinking of Hermione's compassion which she believed had saved Draco from a miserable time after the war.

"When did Mummy became blind?"

"What?" a startled Narcissa looked at an obviously sleepy Caellum who gave a huge yawn.

"When did they fall in lurve?"

"Humph." Narcissa's stern expression was lost on Draco's offspring, who had obviously inherited his snarkiness as well as his colouring.

"Many years later, sweetheart..." Narcissa observed his eyes closing. She dropped her voice to a whisper. "Much, much later..."

Caellum's soft pink lips fell open as his eyes closed. She stayed motionless for several minutes, looking at his peaceful face as sleep claimed him before dropping a kiss on both his cheeks.

"That would be a **long** bedtime story."

**And now to the unashamed begging... **

**PLEASE REVIEW...DO REVIEW...I APPEAL YOU TO REVIEW... I ENTREAT YOU TO REVIEW...PRAY, DO REVIEW! I NEED YOUR REVIEW _/|\\_ **


	5. Wiser

Author's Notes:

**This is going to be short, but hopefully it will be sufficient for the kind souls out there who have followed, favourited and reviewed this fic. No excuses for the lack of updates except that Real Life is a huge enemy of amateur writers!**

**This chapter sees a Time Leap; Caellum is eight years old here.**

**#############################**

**WISER**

"That's not a Brontosaurus! It's a Brachiosaurus, you git!"

"CAELLUM!"

"Well he doesn't recognize dinosaurs at all, Mummy!"

"Albus has just found out about them recently, you have known about them since you could read. Teach him nicely and be patient." Caellum merely looked belligerent at his mother's admonishment. Hermione raised one eyebrow and looked meaningfully at Albus Potter who looked like he was about to cry.

Caellum turned to look at his friend and sighed. "I'm sorry, Albus, for calling you a git but..."

"That would do, Caellum. "

Narcissa smiled at Hermione's warning tone. The play time session was going quite well; at least eight year old Caellum and Albus were not squeezing each other's throats as they had on their last meeting.

"Narcissa, I need to check on Aurora and Lily. Could you please keep an eye on these two?" Hermione asked.

"Of course, my dear." _Two eyes were more like it with these two. _

The two boys were now pouring over the well-thumbed books on dinosaurs and talking animatedly. Narcissa continued with her knitting; a secret hobby she had picked up from Molly Weasley.

It was about five minutes later when she became aware of their surreptitious glances and increasingly heated argument.

"I'm telling you your Mum knows the answer!"

Caellum crossed his arms impatiently and said stubbornly "No, my Grandma knows EVERYTHING!"

"But Aunt Hermione is the smartest witch of her age..."

"Bollocks! Grandma knows more!"

"Caellum Malfoy..." said Narcissa warningly. She was going to have a word with Draco for swearing in front of his children. Again.

A mutinous silence ensued.

There were more furious whisperings before they shuffled over to her. Narcissa looked up from her knitting and smiled at the two boys.

Albus nudged Caellum sharply and mouthed, "Ask her."

"Grandma..." Caellum said before hesitating.

Narcissa waited patiently.

"Grandma, you know lots, don't you?"

"I'd like to think so, darling."

"And you are OLD, right?"

Narcissa bristled but managed a biting, "Not too old..."

"I mean, seeing that you are old, you are also wise and knowledgeable, aren't you?"

That was a hard question to answer; Narcissa didn't want to be young yet stupid nor did she want to be old but wise. She considered his query seriously.

"Well Caellum, being older doesn't always mean someone is wiser."

"But you do know more than Daddy and Mummy cause you're older than them?"

"Of course, darling."

"Much, much older?"

Apparently Caellum had also inherited his father's lack of tact.

"Like I said, not TOO old, my sweet."

Caellum turned to Albus and gave him a triumphant look. Albus rolled his green eyes.

"So tell us, Grandma, why did the Sauropods became bigger than the Theropods even though they were herbivores?"

Narcissa was gobsmacked. What or who were these pods? "I'm sorry darling, I don't have a clue."

Albus crowed, "I told you Aunt Hermione would know and not your Grandma!"

Caellum looked accusingly at Narcissa as if she had lied to him.

"But you just said you are old and wise...How can you not know about dinosaurs? I mean, you WERE there when dinosaurs were alive, weren't you?!"

**##########**

**OUCH!**


	6. The Importance of Blood

**A/N: This chapter would be about Draco. Hope you enjoy it and please do leave a review! **

**THE IMPORTANCE OF BLOOD**

He sat there, in his father's favourite armchair, nursing a glass of Firewhisky in his hand while he stared at the fire. An open daily Prophet had fallen to the ground from his fingers; its page revealing a huge photograph of the Granger girl and that Weasley boy in an affectionate embrace. "War heroes back together again?" the headlines screamed.

Oh, honestly, thought Narcissa, the Prophet was almost as bad as Witch Weekly nowadays. She turned to look at her son again. The fringe falling down into his eyes made him look younger than ever but the lines beside his mouth and at the corner of his eyes belied the pain and life lessons he had endured. His eyes were full of uncertainty and a strange longing.

Narcissa smiled fondly. She was sure he was going to tell her at last. About the girl who had stolen his heart. Narcissa would rather have all her finger nails pulled out one by one before she'd ever admit that she had given up on the notion that Draco would fall in love, really fall in love. He had been groomed to do his duty, to always fulfil his obligations and family's expectations which included choosing a suitable bride; falling in love with his bride was just a bonus. But now it seems he had fallen in love before putting a ring on the woman's finger.

She wondered who it would be. Pansy? No, the Parkinsons have dismissed them as potential marriage prospects after Lucius's incarceration. Gabrielle Delacour? A huge possibility and a good match despite her sister's unfortunate marriage to a Weasley. Astoria? Perhaps... a very lovely girl and Draco had seemed smitten when they had met.

He sighed and sipped at his drink. He closed his eyes tightly while his mouth turned down unhappily. His Adam's apple bobbed sharply.

"Mother..."

She turned to look at him, the son who resembled the love of her life so much it hurts to look at him sometimes.

"I have something to tell you."

She smiled. He opened his eyes to focus on her and he seemed to get more agitated by the moment.

"I know."

"W..What?"

"I know, Draco... You are in love." She reached out to grasp his free hand.

"How... how did you know?" he was flabbergasted.

She smiled. "A mother always knows!"

"Oh..." he hesitated. "And you are not angry?"

It was her turn to be surprised. "Why should I be angry? My son has fallen in love and soon he will get married and I'd be a grandmother! I'm thrilled, darling!" Visions of cuddling a blond toddler and standing for family portraits with a well-groomed, respectable daughter in law danced before her eyes. "So who is it? Is it Astoria? Gabrielle? It can't be Pansy, can it?"

He seemed to deflate before her very eyes. He sighed deeply and moved his hand away from hers. Any colour in his cheeks had disappeared.

"No Mother...It's not any of them."

Narcissa was confused. "Draco?"

Draco dragged his hand over his face as if in agony. When he spoke, it was in a mere whisper, "She doesn't know I love her... and I don't know if she loves me."

Narcissa's heart twisted in pain at his anguish. "But... who can it be? You only go out with Gabrielle and Astoria and Pansy... Most of the time you're only out with your other friends...But I know you've been keeping a secret from me..."

"Please, Mother..." He had buried his head in both his hands.

She got up from her chair to kneel before him and stroked his hair while his body shook silently. An icy fear gripped her; she had only ever seen him like this during his sixth year when he had been given the suicidal mission by Voldemort. "Oh my darling... oh my darling..."

"I'm sorry, Mother... I'm so sorry..." he sobbed.

"Draco, you're scaring me."

He looked up then and seemed to pull himself together. Even though his eyes were shiny in the firelight, he straightened his shoulders and took several deep breaths. He let several minutes elapse before turning to look at Narcissa. When he spoke, it was in a low, steady voice.

"Mother... I never meant it to happen... but I'm in love with Granger."

Narcissa's mind went blank as she stared at him.

Granger.

Hermione Granger.

Harry Potter's best friend.

The Mudblood.

THE Mudblood.

The one who was tortured here.

The one who Draco hated in school.

Terrifying frizzy hair.

The Mudblood.

Those were the first conscious thoughts that came to her as she stared into his grey eyes.

"Wh...When? H...How?" she stuttered. She still felt faint. Slowly, she sat back into her chair.

But even before he replied, she realized that it all fits. Of course it was Hermione Granger: how could it be anyone else?

Hermione Granger was the one who had helped Draco when he had returned to Hogwarts for his Seventh Year. Protected him, befriended him. Cared for him.

Hermione Granger was the one he had fought and argued with as he never had with anyone else.

Hermione Granger had helped Draco and her from being thrown into Azkaban. The one who had helped repeal Wizarding laws regarding prisoners and made it possible for them to visit Lucius every week.

Hermione Granger had challenged him and pulled him and pushed him when he needed to be challenged, pulled and pushed.

Hermione Granger, who despite her blood status, had earned his respect and friendship.

And apparently, she had earned his love.

Draco's lips were still moving frantically, trying to explain to her how the unexpected had happened.

She silenced him with a finger to his lips. "Draco"

His words died on his lips while his eyes pleaded wordlessly for her to understand.

"Draco..." She thought again of the visions of a perfect, respectable, pureblood daughter in law with a blond toddler. She thought of Lucius and how he still clung to his pureblood beliefs even within the walls of Azkaban. She thought of how Draco loathed Ronald Weasley even though he had become friends with his former nemesis, Potter.

She thought of how Draco had always derided the Granger girl in Narcissa's presence. And she remembered being relieved in her beliefs that Draco would never fall for her, that he would never forget to retain the purity of their family.

But most of all, she remembered the Battle of Hogwarts; all that blood mingling on the ground... they were all the same shade of crimson. She recalled the paralyzing fear that she had lost Draco overriding all else. Nothing had mattered then, but Draco being alive and well.

She swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Draco, it's going to be alright." She reached out to squeeze his hand and wipe away the tear on his cheeks.

She might get grandchildren with blond curly hair. Wouldn't they be simply adorable?

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**This is one of my many fantasies about how Draco confesses his love for Hermione to his family. I might do another one involving Lucius one day.**

**Do leave a review! 3**


	7. Reading

**A/N : Hi there all you lovely people out there. Thank you for the reviews and favourites and follows. I'm sorry for not updating more regularly but life has been really hectic and C.R.A.Z.Y...**

**This chapter is about Narcissa, Draco and Hermione ****BEFORE ****Caellum was born. **

**READING **

Narcissa cast a critical eye upon her only son who looked like he had not slept a wink in ages; there were bags under his eyes and he looked thoroughly exhausted.

"Are you alright, Draco?"

His head jerked up and he ran his hand over his face while stifling a yawn. "Yes, Mother. I'm just a little tired."

"You look terrible! That's not a little tired!"

"Please, Mother... I just need a short nap and I'll be as right as rain."

Narcissa harrumphed sceptically but kept her peace.

They continued their breakfast in silence for a few moments before they were joined by Hermione who trilled happily, "Good morning, Narcissa! Good morning, darling!"

She bent to give a peck on Draco's cheeks and Narcissa saw him flinch while casting a wary eye on his wife. She observed them silently while sipping her tea.

Hermione had draped her arms around Draco's neck while smiling dreamily at him. Draco gave her a small, insincere smile then visibly shuddered when she winked naughtily at him.

_Now what has my lioness of a daughter in law been up to? _

"Isn't today a wonderful, wonderful day? The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, I'm so over my morning sickness and Draco has the day off!" Hermione looked absolutely radiant and Narcissa smiled inwardly at her uncharacteristic behaviour. The first three months of pregnancy had seen her miserable from morning sickness and she had been endlessly exhausted. She was now five months pregnant with Narcissa's first grandchild and for the last two months she had seemed exuberantly happy and full of energy. She had also begun to become more comfortable at showering Draco with lots of public displays of affection.

Draco looked like he wanted to run as far away from the mother of his child.

_Interesting... normally he wouldn't be able to keep his hands off her._

Hermione had now turned to sit herself on Draco's lap, smiling sexily at her now waxen looking husband. "What shall we do today, love?" she whispered softly at him.

Draco gulped audibly and replied in shaky, nervous voice, "Ohhh... maybe visit Harry and the Weaslette?"

Narcissa's jaw dropped unattractively. _Her son wanting to visit the Potters? He must be suffering from a dreadful ailment or under a curse!_

Hermione didn't seem surprised but instead looked disappointed at his reply. She pouted, "I'm not in the mood to go out anywhere. Why don't we stay at home and read some more?" She had emphasized the word read and her hands were caressing his chest in a circular motion.

Narcissa arched an eyebrow as she watched Draco blanching at his wife's suggestion. "Read?" he squeaked.

"Yes, read..." Hermione replied breathily. "In the library, or the gardens, if you want to."

Narcissa was beginning to understand what the euphemism _**reading **_stood for and tried hard to hide her smile. She cleared her throat to get their attention.

"You know, Hermione, when I was about four months pregnant with Draco, Lucius and I used to read a lot too..."

Draco's jaw dropped to his chest before he groaned, "Oh Gods, have mercy on me..."

Hermione blushed prettily but managed to say, "You... you... used to _read_ a lot too?"

"Oh yes!" Narcissa sipped at her tea while her face worked hard to hide her mirth at Draco's discomfort. "We read **all** the time and **everywhere. **I'm sure you know it's the hormones causing you to ...er...wanting to _read _so much."

Draco made a gagging sound and tried hard to get his wife off his lap. "I... I need to... do something..." Hermione scowled fiercely at his attempts and he stopped reluctantly. She then turned and smiled sweetly at her mother in law.

"Did... er... Lucius enjoy all the reading?"

Narcissa prided herself in her self control and now summoned every ounce of that control to reply serenely, "Well, he enjoyed it immensely the first few weeks but then he started to ...how can I put it... lose his ... er... concentration, no... that's not it... he began to lose his vigour for reading due to lack of sleep."

Hermione giggled. Draco started to bang his head on the table and then pointed his wand at his forehead.

"What are you trying to do, Draco?" demanded Hermione, stilling his hand.

"I'm trying to obliviate myself, woman!"

"Oh stop being so melodramatic!"

"Yes, Draco, we are having a lovely conversation here" put in his highly entertained mother.

Draco sputtered indignantly," Conversation?! This is an outrage, that's what this is!"

Narcissa arched her brow until it nearly disappeared into her hair as she said in her snootiest voice, "I simply fail to see how a conversation about your wonderful wife's condition be considered an outrage. She is carrying your offspring after all, and I cannot believe a son of mine can forget what she has been through the last few months. "

Her softly spoken admonishment managed to quell Draco's ire and he settled down grudgingly.

Narcissa rolled her eyes and smiled at Hermione. "Malfoy men..."

"Now where were we before we had to handle that rude interruption? Ahh... yes... Lucius' vigour for _reading._"

Hermione giggled.

Narcissa sipped at her now empty teacup to collect herself and hide her own mirth. "He even began to lose weight when my r_eading_ needs continued to rise. I wanted to _read_ **ALL **the time, you'd hardly believe it if I were to tell you how much!"

Draco was now the colour of a sheet.

"He looked much like Draco here at the moment" said Narcissa while looking innocently at her son. He glared but said nothing.

"Maybe you're carrying a son like I was... I mean we do seem to want to _read _so much more than usual, don't we, dear?"

Hermione glowed at the thought of carrying a boy and smiled happily at her mother in law. "Yes, _reading_ seems to be all that I can think about nowadays." She turned to Draco who was looking at her tummy wistfully. "But Draco doesn't quite share my...er...enthusiasm. He was such a good sport before!" she pouted.

"Any man would find it bloody hard to be enthusiastic when he's being summoned to _read_ all the bloody time!" spat Draco. "It's like being a slave! We need some rest to be enthusiastic or we'll all be chafed to a nubbin in a week!"

"Well, Draco Malfoy, I never thought I'd see a day when YOU, of all people, would complain of too much... er..._reading_" countered Hermione hotly. "You used to want to...er...read anywhere, anytime! Need I remind you that ...er... reading is what got me in this condition in the first place!"

Narcissa was torn between laughter and dismay so she chewed on her toast as if it was a piece of rubbery steak. After a few moments of watching Draco and Hermione exchanging glares, she dabbed at her lips with the linen napkin placed in her lap and proceeded to rise from her chair. "Well, I must be going now... I promised Andromeda I'll visit her and little Teddy today so I must be off."

Hermione smiled gloriously, "Will you be visiting them ALL day?"

Narcissa hesitated, stealing a glance at her son who was a bit slow on the uptake at the moment, most probably from lack of sleep due to too much _reading,_ before making up her mind. "Oh no... I think I'll stay there overnight; I just adore little Teddy and it'd be a good practice for me to prepare for this little one."

By then, Draco had emerged from the mind fog that had surrounded him and a look of utter horror descended on his face. "Mother! You cannot be serious! How can you... what about... I mean it's not... No, you can't..." he was stumbling over his own words. Narcissa had to bite her lips hard to keep herself from laughing.

"Mother, please... I want to visit aunt 'Dromeda!" implored her only son beseechingly, his grey eyes darting from his mother to Hermione, who was looking like the cat who was getting all the cream in the world.

"Please, Mother, don't leave us alone! I'll... I'll die!" his last plea came out almost voicelessly.

Narcissa squared her shoulders and said severely, "Don't be silly, Draco! We will be spending the time having women's talk and we certainly don't want you around. Besides, Hermione here needs you; who'll _read_ with her if you're not around? She needs her _reading_!"

She turned quickly towards the fireplace but not before catching the wink Hermione had given her and seeing the terror in Draco's eyes when Hermione's hands started to wander south of his body.

Her last thought before stepping into the Floo was whether anyone had really ever died from too much _reading_.

DMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDM

**I hope you guys understand what 'reading' REALLY means here but if you are confused, here's a fact for you to chew on : It is widely believed that pregnant women get very 'enthusiastic for sex' (**_**think of a 5 letter word beginning with h and ends with y**_**) during their second trimester (around the fourth to seventh month of pregnancy). I personally can vouch for it *wink* *wink*! **

**Think about it and hopefully you'd get what 'reading' is all about here!**

**Cheers!**


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